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Greensboro, Guilford County looking for builders with construction skyrocketing

There's a lot of work to do and not enough companies or contractors to get it all done.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — As major construction projects pop up around the Triad, Guilford County leaders said it's hard to find enough contractors to get it all done.

It's particularly tough for public projects like building schools.

Guilford County Schools recently said it needs more than $100 million extra than it initially budgeted for the rebuilds of several schools.

The main reason is because of what you've seen at the gas station or the supermarket, rising prices due to inflation.

Guilford County Facilities Director Eric Hilton said construction materials are 20 to 30 percent higher than they were before the pandemic and finding workers costs more too.

"The labor rates have gone up as people try to attract and retain talent. The hourly wage for a skilled construction worker has gone up substantially in the last three years," Hilton said.

Part of that is because there are not enough workers or builders to go around.

Hilton recently gave Guilford County Commissioners an update on one of the county's largest projects, a $24 million re-design of the Guilford County Sheriff's Office. 

That project is on track to exceed its budget due to rising costs. It's also taken more time than expected to find enough bidders to do the construction.

"The thing about doing work for the public sector is there are bonding requirements, meaning you have to buy a bond to guarantee that you will first form the work satisfactorily, and to get bonded to do large jobs you have to have certain financial conditions and you’re willing to extend your credit to do that. That limits the pool of people who have that capability," Hilton said. "When they're full of work, they don't have the capacity to respond so they don't."

The county's timeline to complete the Sheriff's Office is late summer 2024 which is a similar timeline to when Guilford County Schools hope to open the first of its new schools. It's also around the same time that Boom Supersonic hopes to open its manufacturing facility.

Hilton said it creates competition for the same limited pool of workers and supplies.

"Everything is on the same timeline right now so it’s what’s making it kind of tricky," Hilton said.

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